I just don’t get it.
I do not understand where all the ‘Tron’ love has come from over the years. I mean, it really wasn’t that great of a movie. Look, before you get yer panties in a bundle, I AM looking forward to Tron: Legacy. But I’m not building my life around it like some seem to be. It does look a fun and enjoyable popcorn flick. I’m not a movie purist… You already know I like stupid movies, and I’m openly out and proud about my love for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But I don’t get the cultish love for Tron. I mean, it was very cool looking at the time. (And still kind of is.) It totally got gypped at the Special Effect Oscars that year, because they thought using computers was “cheating”. (Little did they realize what was to come.) Of course this isn’t the first time a movie that deserved to win an Oscars got passed over for something else unworthy… Just ask any Transformers fan about “The Golden Compass” and watch them sneer. (Frickin’ polar bears.) Tron’s special effects were stunning for the time, a visual spectacle… But unfortunately, it’s like a Victor Hugo book with gold pressed leaf pages… It’s very pretty to look at, but damn is it boring.
That’s my problem with it. Tron was boring. It’s only 90 minutes long, but goddamn does it feel longer. But I’m aware that maybe I’m in the minority here on my feelings for it. Or maybe not. *shrugs*
Now the thing that’s always confused me was the enduring popularity of Tron, and no one has ever explained this to me. Here’s where I get lost… For almost twenty years, no one really gave two craps about the movie or it’s universe. I understand that a lot of the 80’s franchises got brought back in that wave of nostalgia from some years ago… While the Transformers and G.I.Joe never really went away, (some people just think it did.) Thundercats, Voltron, He-Man and even Strawberry Shortcake returned. But in each one of those, there was a hint of the upcoming storms… They never went fully away like M.A.S.K. or Popples. But Tron did. It went far away and had pretty much been forgotten and relegated to being a throwaway joke on the Freakazoid!, much like we would mock the American Godzilla movie now. And one day, it just popped back up on the radar with all this frellin’ Tron love out of nowhere! You’re going along playing Final Fantasy IX and drinking your bottle of Surge… And BAM! Tron 2.0 video game, Tron comic books, Tron message boards, Tron popping up in Kingdom Hearts II, Tron theme park at Epcot Center, Tron toys, and now the sequel and the upcoming announced Tron: Uprising show. I mean, what was the catalyst that caused this? Was there a nerd meeting that I missed?
If it’s a conceptual reason for liking then, then I totally understand. I mean H.P. Lovecraft’s books were actually dull and over-written in my opinion, but the concepts he came up with was very interesting. (At least interesting enough to make a comic book series about them!) Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell, and it’s sequel was the same way in that it was visually and conceptually intriguing, but the story was rather lifeless and dull. So was the first two movies. However, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex I hold up as the greatest anime series ever made, because it took the concepts and told an exciting story with them. Tron, despite it’s empty story, had plenty to like about it, and that’s not even getting into the Light Cycles. So I can understand if it’s a love on a conceptual level. But the Tron’s resurgent populatiry just happened like overnight.
How did it go from being a quick punch line the Simpsons to being a movie that Disney’s willing to spend $170 million dollars on?
Was it just the Tron Guy?
It’s always been really big, but the MCP kept killing the feed before most people could scan it.
But seriously, Tron hasn’t been any more underground than Strawberry Shortcake, and it’s definately been more accessable than MASK. There were Tron features to rides at both Disneyland and Disneyworld up to the early 00′s. There have been at least a dozen Tron games floating around the grid (my favorite is Amagedtron) Which I’ve been playing for over a decade.
Also, it’s kind of a Genre definer in a lot of ways. The ‘human in the computer’ trope started here. The Matrix is a Tron movie. That won’t improve your opinion of the franchise, but it at least supports this line.
finally, the whole Transformers thing didn’t just POP to you, because you were in the subculture. But trust a guy who didn’t realise there was anything between Alpha and BeastWars, the Tron 2.0 -> Legacy build looks a lot like the BeastWars ->Movie to outsiders.
All it takes is one closet Tron fan with access to the purse strings, and BOOM! we’re updating the Trademark on our Product to the toon of $170M. And since toy sales started back in June they’re probably getting close to broken even already.
I don’t think the TRON love is out of nowhere, it just seems that way now that there’s new stuff to look forward to. Like you said, Tron is conceptually cool, and now we’re at an age where we can take those concepts to new heights.
Honestly, I think a lot of the Tron hype comes from nostalgic remembrances for a film that most folks haven’t seen since they were kids.
A few years back, I went and rewatched Tron– I was surprised to discover it was a pretty boring movie. As a kid, I thought it was the most action packed film ever: Lightcycles, Disc battles, big tanks smashing through CG walls–
As an adult, I was stunned to discover it’s a full 30 minutes before they even GET to Tron-land.
I think the hype is kind of akin to Star Trek 2.0: a lot of people thinking they’re going to see the movie as it plays in their head– exciting, sexy, and action packed. Here’s hoping that’s the case!
BTW- finally getting caught up on Shadowgirls– it’s been on my “to read” list for awhile now! Great stuff!
I’ve had that happen to me before. I used to love “The Phantom” from the mid-ninties, thinking Billy Zane could be the next Batman. I watch it again a couple years ago…yeah. Not as good as I remember.
I think this is partly why some people get so ticked at the Star Wars Prequels or “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (not that they didn’t have their problems, just not exactly what every fanboy may think). They have this expectation to see something new that’s EXACTLY what is old, something from their childhood when they were blissfully ignorant and easily impressed. Now, if the movies hit the right chord with audiences overall (like Star Wars or Back to the Future), they WILL endure over generations. The trick, I think, is to keep the “heart” of the film pumping.
Me, I saw Tron on G4 not too long ago. I think this past spring. Not terribly impressed. Maybe because the graphics were dated compared to other stuff I’d seen over the years (Beast Wars, SW prequels…Men In Black, even) and the slow pacing. But I don’t think I really felt the need to CARE about any of the characters. I mean, I cared with Prime got exploded in the chest, why not when some dude fights for his life in a computer (besides the fact of how that last part sounded)?
I don’t know if I’ll bother with Legacy (if I do, it won’t be 3D). It’s possible they’ve crafted a better story. Or they just tossed in a lot of sex and gratuitous violence instead.
I will be seeing Legacy in IMAX 3D, and after my wife suffered through the original with me last week,I think I may be going without her. *lol*
My buddy and I had a lot of fun watching for little Easter Eggs and in jokes in the original. I swear I saw Mickey Mouse in the background on the air-ship scene. There’s some debate as to weather or not the other pixelized region was really a nude woman.
I freely admit it seemed to run closer to 3 hours than 90 minutes though. Unless my special edition is greatly extended.
Agreed. I’m out on the 3D IMAX. Last holiday season, I went to see Avatar with my wife– living in LA, we’ve got 2 “true” IMAX theaters, both of which are located in “megamalls”– So, that’s ten bucks for parking, you’re limited in terms of price breaks for eating– so I think we ended up spending $50 for dinner, and then another $40 for the actual movie– plus, we’ll throw in about $8 for drinks– so, $108 for a movie? And that’s just for two…can’t even imagine the folks that have kids.
At this point, a trip to Disneyland is cheaper than going to a friggin’ movie.
…no thanks for me. The experience of seeing a 3D/Imax film is cool and all, but I’ll settle for a decent “normal” theater experience for a 1/3 of that cost.
I don’t know… I’ve only seen the teaser trailer and even then I thought it looks awesome especially if you’re going to spend the money to watch it in 3d. But I don’t know what the story is about or anything so I will properly watch Tron: Legacy when it comes to DVD.
Its being released here in South Africa on 31 December 2010, so even hearing about a sequel is news for me…
I’m with you on this. I used to work in CGI and I actually liked the look of the original Tron, but I found the plot to be dull beyond measure. When I saw they were doing Trek over, I was _very_ interested (and impressed as I saw intermediate results). When I saw they were doing Tron again, I thought “why?” I keep thinking this is another one of those executive decisions to try to milk the properties as much as possible. I’ve seen most of the previews and I’m still not sure that the second will have any more plot than the first. Unless I’m convinced otherwise, I’ll wait till it shows up on Netflix instant and watch it then.
I can’t believe you think H.P.L’s stories were dull. They are certainly slow paced, but it is his technique to creating atmosphere, in pretty much the same way as Poe did. Perhaps what you need to do, if you really want to admire his literature in all its greatness is read it when you have a lot of spare time, because if you try to read quickly, you won’t be able to percieve all the pace that ever so slowly increases during the short stories. This is just a suggestion, not a criticism and thus, you need not follow it. On a side note, I ,myself, am too starting a comic/manga based on many of his stories, so I beleive I understand you in your admiration for the concepts he developed.
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“I am the last… I will tell the audient void.”